The city of Chico is establishing a sanctioned campground after being sued by a group of unhoused people.
City officials say an outdoor shelter site is being set up at the Chico airport that will be able to accommodate nearly 600 unhoused people and their pets and property.
Deputy City Manager Jennifer Macarthy says the city’s “homeless resting site” will be open by Friday.
The plan is detailed in documents filed this week in U.S. District Court in Sacramento, where a judge is overseeing a lawsuit filed by a group of unhoused people who claim the city’s anti-camping ordinances violate their constitutional rights.
The city says people will be able to stay at the airport shelter site in cars or tents. Water tanks, dumpsters, portable restrooms, and pick-up and drop-off areas for buses will also be made available.
The city hopes the plan will convince a judge to lift a temporary restraining order that bars police from enforcing local laws against camping in parks and along waterways.
The next hearing in the case is set for July 2.
